The row over taxis and GPS came to a head last week when cars were taken off the road following a Government pledge to crackdown on drivers not using the system.

But all three sides appear to blame each other for the problems – Government seems to blame the drivers and Radio Cabs, the drivers appear to blame Bermuda Radio Cabs and Radio Cabs apparently blames Government as well as the drivers.

GPS has been controversial since Government first ordered that taxis must use the system which tells dispatching companies where the taxi is, and assigns it to the nearest job.

It all culminated in a press conference a week a go when Premier and Transport Minister Ewart Brown said that drivers could be fined up to $1,400 a day for not complying with the new rules, adding: "Taxi operators can expect Traffic Officers will be implementing more aggressive enforcement measures".

The move comes in the wake of displeasure with the calibre of service from taxi operators during the Cupmatch and Remembrance Day holidays, Dr. Brown said.

And last Friday that message was hammered home when 14 taxi operators were told to leave the airport by Traffic Officers who found the cabbies without working GPS systems.

The news came almost exactly a year after statements made by Junior Transport Minister, Marc Bean, which seemed to imply Government would not be seeking to penalise individuals but rather the dispatching companies.

However, in a new statement, Senator Bean clarified Governments current stance on the latest GPS announcements.

"The amendments to the law requires both taxi operators and dispatching companies to be in compliance," said Sen. Bean. "The increased focus on enforcement is applicable to both dispatching companies and taxi operators. The act is specific to both groups and requires compliance from all parties; neither segment is above the law and therefore are required to comply."

Sen. Bean said that the amendments to the act were put in place a year ago. The new focus on enforcement, he said, is not a sudden push for compliance but a response to the lack of compliance seen over the past 12 months.

Last Friday, Government confirmed that it began enforcing the new rules; on the same day a petition calling for the removal of Dr. Brown as Transport Minister began circulating amongst cabbies.

"Traffic Officers today reported that at least 14 taxis in the queue at L.F. Wade International Airport arrivals area were cited for non-compliance with GPS requirements," said a Ministry Spokesman on Friday evening. "These taxi operators were cautioned and reminded that it is an offense not to have the GPS and mobile data device on and in working order."

One of the first taxi operators to be cautioned and told to leave the airport was Melvin Hill, an operator and owner who has been working in the industry for 30 years.

"I have been working in the taxi cab industry for 30 years and I have never seen it this bad," said Mr. Hill. "The drivers are fed up. This is the off season and people are struggling to make a dollar.

"It should be the responsibility of the dispatching company to make sure that the system works – not the driver. It is all very unfair. I will be signing that petition."

And Mr. Hill's statements echoed those made by many of the taxi operators who have spoken with this newspaper over the past few days. The taxi operators themselves say that it is "unfair" for them to be penalised for what they claim is the dispatching company's responsibility.

Drivers working for one company in particular, Bermuda Radio Cabs, say that although they have the necessary equipment, they are unable to comply. While most have the GPS unit in their cabs, because Radio Cabs does not have the dispatching unit turned on – there is nothing to connect to.

"It is fundamentally wrong to go after the drivers," said a taxi operator from St. George's. "I am one of the compliant ones, my GPS is turned on and working but I feel for the guys at Radio Cabs because they are being victimised. These guys legally joined the dispatching company of their choice, they pay the $150 a month maintenance fee for the GPS and yet they are being punished for something that is out of their control – they are doing their part.

"This is the dispatching company's problem so deal with them first and the taxi drivers will follow."

Eddie Darrell, owner of Bermuda Radio Cabs, who has been fighting GPS legislation since it was introduced, said that he will be standing behind his drivers but argued that GPS is not economically viable for his company.

"Over the past 18 months we have argued the merits of the suitability of the GPS system for Bermuda at this time, in and out of the courts, and over the same period watched the tourist numbers across the Island decline. The latter further strengthening our economic argument against the use of GPS at this time." said Mr. Darrell

Mr. Darrell claims that his company was, at one point, fully compliant with the GPS laws. After attempting to use the system for a period of time he said that it became clear that the company would lose money and that Radio Cabs was not seeing a sufficient return on it's investment.

The next set-back, he said, was resistance from owners and drivers in utilising the system properly. Monthly maintenance costs and the fact that nearly a third of the drivers were not paying the monthly $150 subscription fee, he claims, forced him to revert to using a voice system and discontinuing GPS.

According to Mr. Darrell an application he sent to Government for a rate increase to help offset costs associated with GPS was denied but an appeal to the decision is still pending.

"We are not averse to the use of new technology where it is clearly to the advantage of all of the stake holders, not just a selected few," he said. "To this date this has not been the case. In light of the recent pronouncement by the Premier, it is now apparent that the focus is being directed at the drivers, who not withstanding the anxiety caused by this action, have complied with the regulation to own and install GPS."

Mr. Darrell said that he will continue to fight GPS legislation.